The national dish of Kazakhstan is beshbarmak (Kazakh: беcбармақ, Russian: бишбармак). Before flying here, everyone who knew anything about Kazakhstan recommended that I try this dish. The word beshbarmak translates to “five fingers," as nomads traditionally ate the dish with their hands. It is usually served with broth in a separate bowl called a kese.
I tried the national dish, beshbarmak. People typically prepare and consume beshbarmak in celebration of holidays, weddings and other special occasions. My host family wanted to introduce me to the dish, but we did not have a holiday to celebrate, so we ate it one month after the day that I arrived in Kazakhstan. We had several relatives and family friends over as guests to share the meal with. It was not only a delicious meal, but also an excuse for a fun evening.
When I first tried beshbarmak I was intrigued, but somewhat hesitant. One of the main ingredients of beshbarmak is horse meat, which I had not previously tried and which is seen as taboo in many other places. Because people often prepare beshbarmak in large portions, my host mom instructed me not to eat for the whole day, so that I would be hungry when dinner time came around.
